Month: February 2015

The following statement was delivered by the European Union on Tuesday, 24 February 2015 at the WTO TRIPS Council during discussions on “Concerns with respect to proposals for plain packaging of tobacco products in the United Kingdom and Ireland”.

On Wednesday February 24, 2015, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) Special 301 Committee held its annual public meeting following written comments sent earlier by trade associations, corporations and a few public interest groups that follow trade and intellectual property.

On February 24, 2015, the USTR convened the Special 301 Review, taking testimony almost exclusively from witnesses representing large corporate rights holders. Over the course of the three-and-a-half hour hearing, groups such as Phrma, NAM, IPO, and the misleadingly-named Alliance for Fair Trade with India (an alliance comprised of groups such as Phrma, NAM, MPAA and many other similar groups) as well as foreign-owned multinational Bridgestone, pushed for the watch-listing of countries that fail to implement TRIPS+ measures. Continue Reading →

On Tuesday, 24 February 2015, Bangladesh, on behalf of the LDC Group, presented the submission of the LDC Group on an Extension of the Transitional Period Under Article 66.1 of the TRIPS Agreement for LDC Members for Certain Obligations with Respect to Pharmaceutical Products in the following impassioned statement.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS

EXTENSION OF THE TRANSITION PERIOD UNDER ARTICLE 66.1 OF THE TRIPS AGREEMENT FOR LEAST-DEVELOPED COUNTRY MEMBERS FOR CERTAIN OBLIGATIONS WITH RESPECT TO PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTS

The World Trade Organization (WTO) is convening the TRIPS Council from Tuesday, 24 February 2015 to Wednesday, 25 February 2015. As mentioned in a previous piece, Norway and the United States “have submitted a written request for the inclusion of the topic, “Intellectual Property and Innovation: Women And Innovation” (Source: WTO TRIPS Council-February 2015- Norway and the United States bring gender mainstreaming to the fore-Women and Innovation, /node/2167).

On 16 December 2014 and 18 December 2014, the World Trade Organization (WTO) undertook a trade policy review of the United States of America. All members of the WTO are subject to review under the Trade Policy Review Mechanism (TPRM). Continue Reading →

In accordance with Human Rights Council resolution A/HRC/RES/26/28, the Human Rights Council convened the 2015 Social Forum at the United Nations Palais des Nations in Geneva from 18-20, February 2015 with a focus on “access to medicines in the context of the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, including best practices in this regard.”

The Human Rights Council’s 2015 Social Forum will take place from 18 February 2015 to 20 February 2015 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.

As requested by the Council in the above-mentioned resolution, the 2015 Social Forum will focus on “access to medicines in the context of the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, including best practices in this regard “. (Source: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Poverty/SForum/Pages/SForum2015.aspx).